


The ups and downs of being a teenager

by Overthinkinglester



Category: Fanfiction - Fandom, Gay - Fandom, IT, Reddie - Fandom, boyxboy - Fandom, losers, losersclub - Fandom
Genre: #IT, #WATTPAD, #eddie, #fanfiction, #gay, #reddie, #richie, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26753212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Overthinkinglester/pseuds/Overthinkinglester
Summary: A group of friends in a band (called the ups and downs of being a teenager) get discovered and tour the world, a few romantic relationships being formed along the way
Relationships: Reddie - Relationship
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

"I'm leaving," Leo said, picking up his electric guitar case and placing his guitar in it.

They were all stunned to silence. 

Leo? Leaving? Our only electric guitarist? 

What the fuck are we going to do.

"Why?" Bev asked, hoarse. Richie could feel her upset tone. They all could.

Leo stopped packing his guitar up. He stayed silent for a bit, then took a breath in.

"You got signed, didn't you?" Bill asked, harshly. Bill is a softie, but if there's one lesson Anyone could tell you about him, is don't ever cross him. Don't betray him. He will take the knife out you stabbed in his back and get you back with it.

Leo was silent still.

"You know, we promised each other we would stay together. That we wouldn't accept deals from record companies because we were better together!" Bill yelled, getting up in Leo's face.

Richie was just looking down at his shoes. Leo has been here since the start. Since before they got gigs at restaurants and outdoor bars like they do now. 

He was a good friend to Richie , too.

He didn't even tell me about getting signed, Richie thought.

Richie was disappointed, to say the least.

"Yeah. I know. But this is a one time thing! It's not everyday people get signed to record companies, especially not just guys who are only seen playing guitar." He said.

They were all quiet. 

"Go." Richie said.

Bev and Bill looked to Richie , like they couldn't believe what he just said.

Go? How could he? Where are we going to find another guitarist as good as him?

Those were all thoughts that ran through their heads, but they didn't dare let them slip past their lips. 

If there was one thing to know about Richie , is that he doesn't make irrational decisions. Ever. So him telling Leo to go? To leave us? He must have a reason.

So they stayed quiet, awaiting the reason to present itself.

Richie stood up.  
"Go, because you never had any intention of staying. You wanted to build yourself off of us. We never meant anything to you, and we know that now." Richie said, he looked like he was about to cry.

They have never seen Richie cry before. Well, just once.

Just once.

But it was brief, and he wiped his tears and was back to his normal self.

"Richie I-" Leo spoke, but Richie shook his head.

"You never needed us. You want to go, and make a name for yourself? Go do it. See how well that turns out, because if it doesn't, you're not going to come crawling back to us." He spoke.

And that's when Leo picked up his guitar case, threw it onto his shoulder, and walked out of the practice room.

Gone. An asset of our band gone.

"What the fuck? What the fuck?" Bill murmured, running his hands through his hair, and pulling it.

"What the fuck!" He yelled.

Bev placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked.

Richie didn't like letting anyone down. Ever. It was just something he couldn't do. He was always the man with the ideas, the guy to fix everything.

That's why they appointed him the 'head' of the band. Not that he was 'better' than anyone else. No, they were all good in their own ways. Bill dominated the drums. Leo killed the guitar. Killed. Past tense. And Bev was a good singer, like Richie .

But , no, they appointed him head of the band because he was good at making decisions when no one else wanted to. He was good at figuring out what needed to be done in a time of crisis. 

He was good at making people feel better. So that's what he was thinking of now.

How to make these two people feel better.

"We could, um." Richie spoke, trailing off to think. 

So he thought for a moment. 

What do bands do when someone important leaves?

"We could hold auditions. You know? Get a new guitarist. Maybe get a new instrument player while we're at it, too." Richie spoke.

He thought for sure this time, he couldn't fix it.

But the smiles on their faces proved him wrong.

"That's perfect Richie . We'll make flyers and hang them around town." Beverly spoke.

Syd nodded.  
"I'll design them, and post them on Instagram." Bill said.

Richie smiled , too.

"Alright." He said ," Lets do this thing."

And that's when it started. The search for two new members began.

Bill's design for the flyers were fantastic. It had people at a concert with their hands in the air and the background, and it had white letters with the information over it. The address they were holding the auditions in was Incased in green.

The place they held the auditions in was an abandoned theater. They lived in a remotely small town, and the theater had been run down ever since their parents were kids. So, why not?

Bill, bev, and Richie had been holding auditions for a few hours now. Turns out a lot of people were interested in the two positions.

But, all of those people couldn't get the spot. So they all listened, and watched carefully.

They listened at the sound, obviously. Beverly suggested on letting them play any song they liked, so they would be more comfortable.

Richie thought it was a good idea, although what he was shooting for at first was that he have each person play on of the band's songs, but he figured he'd get tired of hearing his own writing. 

They watched for skill. Richie would stare at their fingers, watching how easily they could switch chords, and how well they strummed.

And so far, all of them had sounded, well, bleh.

He sat through multiple girl's auditions who didn't even know how to play, and just wanted Benjis number. He declined each time. Not that they weren't pretty, or weren't his type, but he had just gotten out of a pretty destructive relationship.

He sat through guys who only knew how to play fragments of songs, and then act like they did awesome. They didn't, but thanks for trying.

And then lastly, there was a boy who came on the stage.

The boy had a very distinct style. He was wearing a striped long sleeve underneath a bright orange t-shirt that had an orange on it. He had on light wash jeans, with a thick black belt and chains that dangled from his belt loops. His socks were the same bright orange as the shirt, and had pizzas and flames on it. His shoes were black plain converse.

Richie was quite stunned to say the least. Everyone else who had walked in here had a plain, t-shirt on. Maybe jeans or shorts. Not much personality really shown through.

The boy's guitar case was quite customized as well. It had little paintings all around it. Some of food, some of Ancient Greek statues with little 'x's over the eyes.

He pulled out his guitar and slung the strap over his shoulder. That was the one thing that wasn't customized; the guitar.

No, it was plain. Plain as day. It was bright blue, and if you looked close enough it had small sparkles encased in it. But that was it. The strap to it was even plain black.

Richie was intrigued. 

How could someone with so much style have everything customized on them besides their guitar? 

He didn't know. 

"I'm Eddie, I'll be playing smells like teen spirit, by nirvana." Eddie stated.

All members of the group looked at each other , almost as if agreeing upon something. 

Then they turned their heads back to the boy, Eddie .

He immediately began playing, placing his two fingers on the two strings, after the first, and the third finger on the string after.

He strummed twice, and then switched chords fast, but smooth. 

He then strummed the A chord, then G, then C.

For just an intro, Richie thought it sounded exactly like the song. So much so, it was like he had turned the radio on and was listening to it while he wrote down ideas on his notebook. 

He was good, all too good. Richie didn't need to hear past the intro.

"Stop." Richie spoke. The air immediately grew thick with tension.

Eddie looked at him, his sudden confidence that he had the entire time here, crumbled in a second.  
Stop?   
Why does he want me to stop?  
Eddie thought

Bev looked to Richie out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself by moving her head in the slightest direction.

Did he not think his performance was amazing?  
Beverly silently questioned.

Bill , however, wasn't hiding the emotion he felt at all.

His mouth was open, wide. His eye brows were almost to the top of his forehead from how far they were raised. 

Richie, I love you dude. But what the fuck?  
Bill thought.

"You're great. I don't need to hear more. Do you guys feel the same?" Richie asked, looking towards Beverly and Bill.

Bill's face immediately fixed itself from the utterly confused look, to an understanding look.

"Yes, absolutely." Bill agreed.

Bill looked to Bev , as did Richie.

"Yes, of course. You were amazing." Bev gushed.

Richie smiled. He liked to think the group often thought the same way, since they were together so often, and shared each other's thoughts for more meaningful songs.

So he was happy that this kind of rash decision paid off.

The curly haired boy smiled, a blush entered his cheeks, filling it up like jelly in a donut.

Cute. Richie thought.

Although, he hoped he didn't share that thought with the group.

"Thanks so much." Eddie spoke. 

And to Richie, the way he spoke was like every breath of air that came out of him made daisy's bloom. It was so soft, and gentle, yet so assertive and sweet.

"It's no problem. We meet 4 days a week, but also if you get a text from us to come, then obviously we'll meet that day too." Richie said, standing up from the plastic, school chair.

They had found the chairs behind the building, by the dumpster.

Bev took them home and sanitized them, but she thought they would go perfect in the abandoned theater. 

Beats' sitting on the floor. She thought. 

That too, was a shared thought.

The boy smiled, and stepped off the stage. It was only then that Richie had got to see his height.

He was significantly less taller than his self. It was cute.

Though Richie thought almost everything he saw from Eddie today was cute. 

His outfit. His hair. His face. His shoes.

But not his guitar skills. No. It would be offensive to call that 'cute'. 

It would be more fitting to call it 'outstanding'.

With Eddie, they didn't need Leo. Not his back stabbing, mediocre playing, ass.

They all exchanged numbers with Eddie, and they told him to meet them all here, tomorrow.

Eddie nodded, and then left the theater. 

At first, when he had entered the theater, he was scared. 

Not just because he had to preform in front of people he didn't know, but also because of the buildings state.

The bricks had been painted over many times, so different colors of chipping were left loosely hanging onto the building.

The bricks were also crumbling, and the windows were boarded up with wood.

He honestly thought he might get kidnapped, and that this was all an elaborate scheme to sex traffic him.

But that was also just his day to day anxiety. He couldn't even go on a walk without thinking someone was following him.

But he was happy. Happy his skills got him into a band, with seemingly nice people. 

He finally felt like he could be included in something, and that , to him, was the greatest feeling in the world.

Before the other members left the theater to go home for the night, someone burst through the doors.

"Hi! Sorry I'm late! I had to make dinner for my ma' ." The ash blond haired boy spoke.

He had a strap on his back, with an instrument in it.

"Oh, sorry, we already chose an electric guitarist." Bill said, the rest of the members nodded.

The boy bent over, putting his hands on his knees, and started to catch his breath.

"I'm-not, I'm not auditioning for guitar." He spoke, through short breaths.

Richie rose his eyebrows. He had almost entirely forgot that he suggested they wanted to audition for a new instrument as well.

No other instruments had been here all day.

"What do you play?" Bev asked.

The boy had finally caught his breath, and stood up.

"Uhm- piano." He smiled.

Richie was thrilled. He had always wanted a piano player in the band, but had never met anyone who played.

"Show us what you've got." Richie smiled.

The boy took of the instrument from his back. He sat down on the floor and placed it in his lap.

"This has a stand but I didn't want to run all the way here holding it." He explained.

They all nodded, silencing the main concern they had in their head.

Another shared thought.

He began to move his fingers, methodically on the keys. 

It sounded beautiful, and reminded Bev of a random day in the park.

The sun was bright and the sky was notably blue. She had seen a dog on her way to the park. It was cute. It had light fur and a black nose. Bev always wanted a dog, but her family thought dogs were a disgusting waste of time.

It reminded Bill of the night he layed on his roof. He got into a fight with his dad, nothing too big, but big enough for him to want to be alone.

So he went on the roof, and watched the stars walk over his eyes.

Sometimes bill would cry at the mere thought of life ending one day, but the stars, he knew would always be there for him.

And it reminded Richie, of his ex girlfriend.

The first time he saw her. It was like time moved in slow motion, and he believed that it was him falling in love with her at first sight.

Her curly brown hair draped around her head and fell down to her shoulders perfectly, and bounced with every hit of a new key.

He remembered how she smiled. How it was so bright it would effect her eyes, making her squint.

He really did love her, too bad it wasn't a shared feeling.

The boy had stopped playing and looked up.

At first, none of the members said anything, all trapped in the aftermath of their memories.

Bill, was the first to speak.

"That was really beautiful, what's your name?" 

The boy blushed, and got up from his spot on the floor.

"Ben." He smiled.

"It was really good, ben." Beverly said, a blush ghosting over her cheeks.

Richie smiled at that. He didn't see Bev give anyone romantic attention ever. 

"We'll take you." Richie spoke.

They all told Ben the same information they told Eddie . 

Then all of the members left.

Bev rode her bike home, listening to her favorite songs to comfort her.

Bill walked home, as he just lived a mere block away.

And Richie drove home. It was an old, beat up car, but hey it got Richie places on time.

He felt a smile deep down.

He just felt like he did something right tonight, picking Eddie and Ben.

He hopes they all become good friends. Maybe even more. Maybe.


	2. Two

The first band practice after Eddie and Ben joined was happening today.

Eddie was nervous, but also excited. He did this thing where he often didn't feel good enough, for anything. He'd wake up one day and he wouldn't feel good enough to wear the clothes he wears, he wouldn't feel good enough to be the son of his mother. He wouldn't feel good enough to play guitar, So he wouldn't.

He wouldn't get dressed in his usual clothes, which was usually a bright t shirt over some sort of long sleeve. No, he'd wear a worn out , way too big, t-shirt, and he'd pull on jean shorts.

He would do whatever his mother asked, and try to stay out of her way. He didn't want to be a burden to the only person in his life who loves him. 

And the usual guitar melodies or chords, or thoughts of learning knew songs that ran through his head, would stop. 

Instead it was like he was the shell of a person he was the day before. This would go on for a day, usually never longer than that.

He tried really hard to make sure today wasn't one of those days, even though he didn't feel like he was good enough to have been accepted to join the band. 

Stop it, Eddie.  
He thought, attempting to silence the damaging thoughts in his brain, as he got ready for the practice.

He wondered what they'd do. It's a band, they have original songs, would he learn to play one today?

Or would they sit around laughing, eating snacks and getting to know him. He didn't know, he was hoping it was fun, at least.

Maybe that would calm his anxiety. 

Ben on the other hand, was elated. He knew about the band, he had been at a few of their gigs in the past.

It was a spot downtown, outside. It had benches, brick floors, and a string of lights that wrapped around the small square.

He was there completely coincidentally , he had only gone there to draw, and observe people.

But then, the band had come. He watched as they took their instruments out of the cases, and set them up.

He didn't have high expectations for the group, as they went to his high school. 

Ben had this thought in his head, that he knew was ridiculous but it never goes away.

He thinks no one from here could ever amount to anything good. I mean, how could they?

This shitty small town in Virginia. How could anyone from here go through life as a kid, and escape with some sort of talent, alive? And not totally embarrassed?

But, he had always secretly hoped, that maybe he'd be one of them. 

Maybe he would he one of the lucky ones to escape this towns crumbling buildings and ancient people, and maybe he'd be happy. Successful, even.

He would laugh it off. He could dream, how he could.

He'd dream of being in Los angels , California, with his own little art studio.

He liked drawing, a lot.

He actually didn't like piano much when he started playing. He was forced to play because his father was a great player. The whole town knew his dad for that.

They'd call him a genius, or an angel with sounds.

And, boy, they were right. He was exactly those things. Anything he'd ever play sounded great, even if he hit a wrong note, not like he ever did. But still.

Ben never thought he would meet someone as talented as his own father.

That was, until he suffered a heart attack. He survived it, and Noen went and visited him at the hospital every day for a week.

Until , one day, Ben was at school. 

He was taking a big test, hoping to pass it and advance up into a more advanced level class.

But, as he was halfway through his test, his dad had another heart attack at the hospital. Unfortunately for Ben, and the whole town that loved his father, he didn't survive that one.

Ben got home and was given the news from his mother.

He ran to the hospital that very second, he ran so fast he could feel every vein in his body pulsating from his heart beating so fast.

And when he got there, there was a pool of gifts and balloons and 'get better soon' cards he had to swim through.

They were all for his father.

Everyone misses him, which makes Ben feel like his pain isn't as important as anyone's else's.

"Well, I was his son" Ben would say,

"Yes, but I pass him everyday on my walk, and he always smiled, and waved. I miss that wave. I miss that smile." They would say.

Yeah, Ben did too.

He'd do anything to please his mom, so he took piano classes. He wanted to be great. Just like his dad.

So he was ecstatic when the band said they'd take him. He knew he wasn't that good, but he knew he was good enough to them, and that was all that mattered to him. Being good enough.

Ben had got to the run-down theater, otherwise known as 'the practice spot', first. 

There was a wooden bench on the outside of the theater.

So Ben sat, waiting for the others as he opened his leather sketchbook and pulled out a ball-point pen.

He drew the birds in front of him, eating what looks to be spilled popcorn.

He smiled, shading the birds' beak and leaving a small white spot for the shine.

He then heard a car pull up. He closed his sketch book and looked up, being met with Richie .

Richie took his microphone, two speakers, and a stand out of his back seat.

It looked heavy, awfully heavy.

"Richie! Here, let me help." Ben said, grabbing one of the speakers and the stand from him.

Richie smiled, walking to the door, and kicking it open with his leg.

They walked past the isles of chairs, and walked up the stairs to the stage.

They sat the equipment on the middle of the stage.

"Thanks , Uh," Richie said, trailing off trying to remember Bens’ name. It was understandable of course, they had only talked briefly.

"Ben." The other boy had finished for him. Richie nodded.

"Thanks Ben, how come you're here so early?" Richie asked, plugging the speakers in and setting up the microphone. The equipment practically lives here but Richie will be damned if anyone ever steals it. So he takes it home, every night.

Ben shrugged, sliding his small leather sketchbook into his back pocket.  
"I dunno, I was anxious, I guess. I couldn't wait." He said, smiling.

Richie chuckled.  
"That's nice Ben. Now we just have to wait for the other-"

"Hu-hey d-duh-dorks, god has arrived." Bill spoke, holding an iced coffee in his hand.

Bill leaves the drums here, it's too much of a hassle to put together and deconstruct each time he comes. If he did that he'd spend more time putting it together than actually playing.

Plus, he was sure no one would want to steal the drums anyway, how would they?

Even if they did, they're a piece of shit anyway, Bill always said attached with a laugh.

"Hey," Richie laughed, sitting on the corner of the stage and letting his legs dangle above the ground.

Ben took a seat next to him, as Beverlywalked through the doors.

"Heyy, I brought cookies!" She spoke, holding a plastic Tupperware container, with the cookies jangling inside.

"Oo!" Bill spoke, standing up and running over to Bev.

"Bring me one!" Richie pouted, his eyes focused on the container.

But, his attention quickly went to something, different. The doors of the theater squeaked open, like a mouse. It honestly sometimes hurt his ears, but he held back his cringing.

He saw tall, black shoes. They were paired with white socks that had purple detailing on them. His eyes trailed up the leg, soon seeing a purple plaid skirt, with black lines running along the longitude and latitude of the skirt. There was a simple silver chain hanging from the belt loops of the skirt, dangling down to the thighs.

The shirt was black, tucked into the purple plaid skirt, and it had a small purple crescent moon in the middle of it. 

He was absolutely captivated by the outfit, and the figure of the person. His eyes were now on the neck, where a cross necklace, a moon necklace, and a pendant necklace stood.

Then his eyes made it to Eddie’s face, the one in the outfit, and that's where his eyes stayed.

Richie wasn't sure exactly why his heart was beating as fast as it was, but he could say he definitely didn't like the feeling. He felt vulnerable, and embarrassed for some reason.

"Hey." Eddie said , walking down the isles of red warn chairs, and meeting the others at the stage.

Even his voice is as pretty as he is. So unique, soft but yet the perfect amount of scratchy. 

Richie didn't even know it, but he adored it. 

"Hey!" Bev smiled, handing Eddie a cookie from the container.

He smiled, taking it gratefully and taking a bite out of it.

Richie watched as his teeth, slightly imperfect, took a bite into the soft dough. His lips were a sparkly pink, and it glistened from the lights overhead.

He felt a song Blume in his cheeks, burning it bright red, causing him to tear his eyes away from the boy in front of him.

"So, what are we doing today, Rich?" Bill asked, taking a sip from his coffee.

Shit. Richie had almost forgot the whole reason for today.

"Oh- uhm!" Richie said, trying to calm himself down.

"We're teaching them how to play the songs we perform. It doesn't have to be perfect today, but it has to be by Friday. Because we have a gig at the bar." Richie smiled, it stretched from cheek to cheek.

He hadn't told Bev or Bill about the gig yet, because he wanted it to be a surprise. But, he figured, now was as a good a time as ever.

He watched as bev’s face lit up, mirroring snow on a sunny day, blinding his eyes.

And he watched as bill’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened.

"Holy shit!" They both shouted.

Eddie and Ben just eyed each other, confused.

"The ... bar?" Ben asked.

Richie nodded.  
"Yeah, they have a stage, and Friday's are most crowded with people. So we'll get to do a real performance. It'll be great." Richie smiled.

Eddie’s mouth slipped into an "o" shape. 

Could he be more perfect? Richie didn't think so.

"Okay," Richie said, "the song we're teaching you guys first, is blue." 

Eddie and Ben nodded.

"Eddie, I'll teach you how to play it on guitar. Since I do know how to play it. Does anyone know piano to teach Ben?" Richie asked.

The room was silent.  
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me. I can play it by listening to you play it." He smiled.

Woah. He was that talented? Glad we accepted him in, Richie thought.

"Oh, okay. Awesome." Richie said grabbing an old guitar from the side of the stage.

It was out of tune, and a little broken. But it'd be fine for this.

Bev and Bill sat on the seats and just began talking, occupying themselves.

"Okay," Richie said, walking over to Eddie and lifting the strap over his head. Eddie did the same for himself.

"Capo on second fret." Richie said. Eddie nodded, moving his capo.

"Okay, so first its Em, like this." Richie said, strumming the chord twice.

"Then it's D and C." He said, strumming it again, twice.

"It should sound like this." He said, playing the intro.

"Love it's hard, I know." He sang, strumming the notes out on the guitar.

Eddie blushed. He thought Richie’s voice sounded as if his favorite song was never written.

Richie waved his hand in front of Eddie’s face, causing Eddie to blink.

"Repeat it back to me." Richie smiled, a faint blush spread across his cheeks. It all felt so natural. 

Eddie nodded, quickly strumming the notes out on his guitar. 

Richie nodded.

Then he looked at Ben, behind the both of them. 

"Hey, repeat what you heard back to me." Richie said, a kind smile drew across his face.

Ben nodded hastily, and his fingers jumped to the keyboard.

He played exactly what Richie had just taught Eddie , perfectly.

Richie smiled, and praised Ben for his incredible playing.

And he taught them the rest of the song.

Eddie thought the song was quite sad, but had a happy beat. It was an interesting rhyme scheme as well.

Richie was speaking to Ben , across the room from Eddie now. 

Eddie was now sitting with Bev and bill.  
"He wrote it, about his ex." Bev whispered into Eddie‘s ear.

Eddie blushed at the random attention, and turned to Bev .

"What?" He asked, and Bev smiled.

"The song, 'blue', he wrote it while he was dating his ex." She spoke.

Eddie made an 'o' shape with his mouth, and nodded.

He wanted Richie to play it for him, so he could fawn over it privately.

Yeah, he'll ask him.


	3. Three

So the band, and the new members, had been in the theater for three hours.

Yes, Ben and Eddie only learned one song, blue, but they all bonded too:

Ben really felt accepted, he never really had friends.

They were all flakes, too busy with other people to hang with him. 

But it was always okay, and he didn't mind, because he had his dad.

His dad was his best friend, when he was still alive he wasn't being pushed to he as great as him.

He really missed his dad.

Eddie, on the other hand, had felt extremely overjoyed. He was so nervous to come here today, but Richie really made him feel better. 

He also made friends with Bev, she and him had talked about their favorite clothing brands, which he never had in common with anyone.

Bill was too busy trying to get to know Ben, as the second he saw him, he knew Bev was probably crazy about him on the inside.

And he was excited for her, even though it hurt.

It was easy to see how Ben felt, he got flustered easily.

"Come on Bill, leave him alone." Richie playfully said.

Bill stuck his tongue out at him, and walked back over to his iced coffee.

"Alright guys, I think that's it for today. You can go home." Richie smiled.

Bev got up, yawning, and waving a goodbye to everyone, hugging Bill and Eddie on the way out. 

Bill waved goodbye and strutted out the theater with his two middle fingers up. Oh Bill, always one to make an entrance AND an exit.

Ben thanked Richie for having a good time, and walked his way out of the theater as well, joining the others on their way home.

Bill skateboarded home sometimes, though, the streets are old and bumpy. The board gets so shaky over the cracks and rocks that it makes his foot go numb.

So today he walked. He didn't mind it. It gave him time alone.

Sure, he likes his dad, he was his only guardian and they're best friends, but Bill wasn't alright.

He was always upset, and his dad knew that. He always thought people hated him after first meeting them. He always felt dysphoric , and insecure in his own skin.

He constantly worried about what other people thought around him, and never truly felt peace.

Unless he was alone. Like right now. 

Bev rode her bike home. It had a basket on the front, which she would use for water, food, and sometimes her cat.

But today, it lied empty, as she biked her way home. She went the long way, so she could pass all of the lovely rose bushes on the way home.

She thought the roses were beautiful, and she wanted to touch them and smell them.

But she didn't think she was beautiful. Sure, she can act like she thinks it, flaunting herself around the small town and gaining boys' attention.

But she never believed it. 

Ben thought she was beautiful, as he walked the path of his house he was sketching out her face, and shading in her hair on the small pocket- sized sketchbook.

He drew little hearts around her, and signed the page with his initials.

She's gorgeous, he thought, smiling at the drawing he did, and closing his book to slip it back into his pocket, as he entered his home.

And that just left Richie and Eddie, at the theater.

Richie was cleaning up, and packing his mic back into his car. 

Eddie offered to help, and Richie graciously accepted.

They both dismantled the mic stand, and carried the parts into the trunk of his car.

"You need a ride home?" Richie asked finally, as he rubbed his hands together and wiped them on his pants.

Eddie blushed, and nodded.

"Uhm, would you, maybe want to. Uh." Eddie stammered, so anxious he found his words tying themselves into knots.

Richie placed a hand on his shoulder, in hopes to focus him.

Eddie cheeks burned bright red, and Richie clearly saw it.

He didn't know why he felt this way about a boy. He didn't think he was gay? Is this how it feels to like a boy?

Eddie cleared his throat, trying his sentence again.

"Would you want to hang out with me tonight? My curfew isn't until 11 pm." Eddie asked.

It was currently around 9:20 pm.

Richie liked the idea. He wanted to be alone with Eddie, like now, but more privately. 

Maybe I do like him. Richie thought, and nodded, opening the passenger side of his car for Eddie.

"Sure, come on." He said, and Eddie slipped into the seat.

Richie closed it carefully, and walked over to his side, getting in and buckling up.

"We can just go to my house." Richie said, and Eddie nodded.

Richie rounded the corner, passing a rundown ice cream shop, a church, and rose bushes.

Richie kept the radio quiet, but still good enough to hear.

He let his hand stay on the center console, tapping out beats to the song and singing softly along.

Eddie just watched in awe, knowing Richie couldn't notice because he had to keep his eyes on the road.

He really did like Richie’s voice. It reminded him of everything he loved mixed together.

"I love your voice." Eddie blurted out, instantly blushing from the mistake.

Richies’ cheeks were glowing red, a mixture from the stop light in front of the car, and the compliment.

"Thank you." Richie said, in a small voice.

He didn't know why that affected him the way it did, but god that made oceans swirl in his stomach.

Eddie wanted to be bold, since Richie had taken the accidental compliment so well.

But he didn't want him to have time to pull back.

So, the second the light turned green, he placed his hand over Richie’s on the center console.

Richie pressed the gas, complying to the light, and continuing on the road to his house.

His heart was thumping in his chest, in fact, he almost got it confused with Bill on the drums.

He locked their fingers together, and glanced over at Eddie, who was staring at their hands.

So cute , Richie thought, and pulled into the drive way.

Richie’s house wasn't huge, but it was about the best you could get in this town. 

Eddie awed over it, and went to open the door.

But, Richie had beat him to it, and opened the door for him, closing it as well and locking the car.

They walked up to his front door, as Richie stuck  
The keys in the handle, and jiggled them around.

He has really nice hands. Eddie admired, as Richie turned the knob and opened the door.

"My room is just up the stairs and down the hall to the left." Richie said to Eddie, going down to the car and getting his guitar and mic stand.

Eddie did what Richie told him, and entered his room at the end of the hall.

He passed the family pictures on the wall, some including dogs.

He opens Richie’s room , and it was way bigger than he thought.

He had a plain bed spread, but his walls were filled.

There was different guitar straps on the wall, even some guitars on the wall.

He had a corner on a desk, where there was pictures of him as a kid with a younger version of the dog he saw on the hallway walls.

Richie entered his room, and placed the stuff he had on the floor.

"Hey." Richie smiled sheepishly, and sat on his bed.

"So, what did you want to do?" He asked Eddie, tilting his head up at him.

Eddie sat next to him on the bed.

"I want to hear you play the song you played earlier." Eddie asked, in a hush tone. Like he was afraid to say it or for Richie to hear it.

Richie blushed.  
"Blue?" He asked.

Eddie simply nodded.

"Okay." Richie nodded, getting his guitar from the floor and placing the strap over his head.

He places his fingers on the same places he taught Eddie.

He strummed the first two notes.  
"Love it's hard, I know," he sang softly.

Eddie smiled.

"All your lights are red, but I'm green to go." Richie sang, strumming the other notes.

"Used to see you high, now you're only low. All your lights are red, but I'm green to go." He sang softly.

He looked up at Eddie.   
"I want you, I'll color me blue, anything it takes to make you stay." He sang, looking into Eddie’s eyes.

Eddie’s heart began to beat faster. Was he meaning these for me?

"Only seeing myself when I'm looking up at you." He sang, Looking down to strum.

He looked back up at Eddie,   
"I want you-"

He sang, but Eddie leant forward, cutting off the song with his lips.

It was a quick kiss, as Richie pulled away quickly.

Richie’s eyes were wide, and he looked all over Eddie’s face.

"Um, sorry-" Eddie started, but Richie leant forward and kissed him back.

Eddie held the back of Richie’s head, and Richie ran his fingers through the back of Eddie’s hair, pushing him back so Eddie laid on the bed.

Richie’s lips were sweet, like something Eddie couldn't even describe. 

Eddie’s lips tasted like strawberry flavored candy. That was Richie’s favorite flavor.

He licked Eddie’s lips, asking him to open his mouth.

Eddie did, and Richie’s tongue slid over his own.

Eddie hummed at the sensation, trailing his hand from the back of Richie’s head down his back and back up to his head.

Richie tasted the strawberry more, so he tilted his head, kissing him deeper into the bed.

Eddie rolled them over, so Richie’s back was now pressed into the bed, unlike his own.

He kissed Richie’s lips, and then his chin. He kissed his throat, and licked over a spot, before sucking down on it.

Richie moaned, grasping Eddie’s hair and tugging it, forcing Eddie’s lips to stay in that one spot.

Richie wasn't thinking about hickeys, he was too busy enjoying every single thing Eddie was doing.

Every touch to his skin, every caress over his clothes, all the licks and kisses over his neck.

Richie was in heaven, and he wasn't about to break out of it.

Eddie trailed a hand up Richie’s shirt, and Richie immediately lifted it up and over his head.

Eddie began to kiss down Richie’s stomach. Eddie noted that Richie had a few faint abs, and decided he was going to do exactly what he did to his neck , here, too.

He sucked the skin in between his lips, licking over it with his tongue, and slightly biting it with his teeth.

Richie was panting, and his head was thrown to the side, his eyes closed tightly.

Eddie let go of the skin in between his teeth, looking down at the dark patch of skin, and placing his hand over Richie’s dick.

But Richie took Eddie’s hand and laced their fingers together.

Richie brought Eddie up next to him, and he pulled his shirt back over his head.

"Do you want to stay over?" Richie asked.

Eddie nodded, taking his phone out and sending a quick text to his mother.

Richie smiled, and took his belt off , slipping his pants down and getting down to his boxers.

"Get comfortable, I have clothes you can sleep in if you need them." Richie said, turning on his tv, but keeping it at a low volume, and slipping under the covers.

Eddie nodded, getting up and slipping his two shirts over his head.

He slipped his ripped jeans off of his legs, and flooded them, placing them on Richie’s desk, along with his shirts. 

That left Eddie in his boxers as well.

"Where do you keep your shirts?" Eddie asked quietly.

"Third drawer." Richie mumbled into the pillow.

Eddie nodded, opening the drawer and seeing which ones he wanted to wear.

He scanned over them, and his eyes landed on a white shirt with a car on the pocket.

He smiled, and slipped it over his head.

He walked over to Richie, and got into the covers next to him.

Richie smiled at Eddie’s weight beside him, and wrapped his arm around his waist.

Richie liked him. Simple as that. It didn't have to be complicated, and he didn't have to figure out what it meant.

He liked him. That was enough for him.

Eddie smiled, and closed his eyes, listening the the faint sound of 'Pokémon' as he slipped into sleep.


End file.
